The Common Council in Buffalo, New York, voted 6-2 to pass an amended $622 million city budget that includes Acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon’s proposed 8% property tax increase.
WGRZ reports the budget increases municipal spending by 1%. The budget also included the creation of a property tax circuit breaker program designed to help low-income deal with this year’s tax increase. Spending cuts in the budget include a $1 million reduction in allocated funds for police and fire overtime for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Scanlon put forth the 8% property tax levy increase proposal last month, claiming it would generate around $13.7 million. Buffalo is facing a projected $70 million structural deficit.
“I know when people hear 8%, they become uneasy with it,” Scanlon said. “But just for practical application on a home that’s assessed at $150,000 for next year, that will be an $11 a month increase. We’ve had conversations with the council about that 8%. We think that’s the number it needs to be. If you start dropping that down, we’ve got to start looking at cutting other things. Then you start getting into some of the stuff that really impacts residents.”
Scanlon has until June 8 to sign the budget into law.
